Position compensating connector

ABSTRACT

A connector has a connector terminal that has a connecting section for a partner terminal on one end of a conducting plate, a board insertion section on the other end, and a curved section for absorbing the deviations in the vertical. The connector also has horizontal directions in the middle of the conducting plate, and a housing which houses the connector terminal which has a board mounting plate on the side of the base end, and the board mounting plate mounted so as to be horizontally movably on the board via a fixing stand of the board insertion section.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a connector that connects printedboards or a printed board to an external connector.

2. Description of Prior Art

In the past, as a connector for connecting printed boards there has beenproposed one as shown in FIG. 1. The connector is composed of aconnector terminal T and a housing H. The connector terminal links a pinsupporting section b that has a pin insertion hole a and a boardinsertion section c with a movable plate d. The housing H has footsections e which are hooked freely movably in the lateral direction tohooking slits g in a printed board f.

When the terminal T is fitted to the housing H and the printed board fis inserted to the board insertion section c to connect the printedboards, the deviation of the terminal T in the lateral direction x isabsorbed by the movable plate d, and the deviation in the longitudinaldirection y that accompanies the insertion of a pin P is absorbed by thepin insertion hole a.

However, if the pin P is to be inserted in the state as shown in FIG. 2,stresses concentrate on one of the pin contacting pieces b' to generatea deformation as shown in FIG. 3, giving rise to a possibility ofreducing the reliability in electrical connection. In addition, toabsorb the errors in the inserted position of the pin P, it becomesnecessary to secure a space greater than xy which results in the problemof making the size of the terminal and the housing large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a connector which iscapable of solving the above problems and making its size small.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector whichreduces the possibility of easy deformation in the connector terminalthat makes a contact with a partner terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector whichincludes a connector terminal that has reduces the possibility of adeterioration of the reliability of electrical connection.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector whosemanufacturing process can be simplified due to its simple construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector whichpermits a secure connection with a partner terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connectorterminal which permits a secure connection with partner terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method formounting a connector on the board in which, even when a lateralpositional deviation in connecting the boards via the connector isgenerated, the positional deviation can be absorbed readily by changingthe lateral mounting position of the connector with respect to theboard.

In a connector which comprises a connector terminal and a housing whichhouses the connector terminal, a feature of the present invention whichis aimed at solving the above-mentioned problems is that the connectorterminal has a connecting section for a partner terminal on one end inthe longitudinal direction of the conducting plate, a board insertionsection on the other end, and a first and a second flexible sections,that can be bent in a first and a second directions that are mutuallyperpendicular and are respectively perpendicular to the direction ofinsertion of the connector, in the middle, and the housing has a boardmounting plate on the side of base end, whereby the lateral positionaldeviation that may arise between the partner terminal and the connectorterminal can be absorbed readily by the first and second flexiblesections of the connector terminal.

Another feature of the present invention is, in a connector terminalcomprising a conducting plate, that the connector terminal has aconnecting section on one end in the longitudinal direction of theconducting plate, a board insertion section on the other end, and afirst flexible section and a second flexible section that can be bent ina first and a second directions, respectively, that are mutuallyperpendicular and are respectively perpendicular to the direction ofinsertion of the connector, whereby the deviation in position in thelateral direction between the partner terminal can be absorbed easily.

Another feature of the present invention is, in the mounting method, tothe board, of a connector consisting of a connector terminal and ahousing which houses the connector terminal, that the present method hasa board mounting plate in the housing, and the board mounting plate ismounted so as to be movable relative to the board in two directions thatare mutually perpendicular and are respectively perpendicular to thedirection of insertion of the connector, whereby the positionaldeviation in the lateral direction that may arise between the board thatis connected via the connector may readily be absorbed.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following description of apreferred inventions, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are explanatory diagrams for the construction and theoperation of a prior art connector.

FIG. 4 is a disassembled explanatory diagram for an embodimment of theconnector embodying the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged explanatory diagram for the connector shown inFIG. 4 as seen from the rear.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view for showing the mounted condition ofthe connector on the printed board.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the mounting section shown inFIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view for showing the connected condition of theconnector shown in FIG. 4 on another printed board.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view for illustrating the principal action of theconnector in the connected condition of the board shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the main part of the connector shown inFIG. 8.

FIG. 11 and 12 are perspective views that show other embodiments of theconnector terminal embodying the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 showing the connector of the presentembodiment, there are provided an L-shaped connector terminal 1, ahousing 8, a fixing stand 14 for the connector terminal, and a printedboard 17.

The connector terminal 1 is formed by providing a connecting section 3for a partner terminal on one end of a narrow band-like conducting plate2 and a projecting board insertion section 4 for an insertion hole 17aof the printed board on the other end. The connector terminal 1 is alsoformed by bending the midsection of the conducting plate 2 to form an Lshape. The bent portion between the horizontal part 2a and the verticalpart 2b of the conducting plate 2 is curved in the form of an arc toform a curved section 5 for absorbing the deviation in the verticalposition of the connector terminal 1. On the other hand, the verticalpart 2b of the conducting plate 2 has reinforcing walls 6 on its bothsides to form a U-shaped structure, and in addition, near its top end ithas curved sections 7 of narrow width with a relief hole in between. Thecurved sections 7 are for absorbing the deviation in the horizontaldirection of the top of the connector terminal 1. The connecting section3 is formed as a female terminal that consists of erected side walls 3aon both sides of the horizontal part 2a and elastic pinching arms 3bthat are formed by curling the free ends of the horizontal part 2atoward the inside. On the bottom surface of the connecting section 3there is formed a hooking hole 3c.

In the above, the connecting section 3 may be formed as a tube-like maleterminal instead of female terminal.

The housing 8 comprises a housing section 10 that has a plurality ofhousing rooms 9 that house the connecting sections 3 of the connectorterminals 1 and a supporting wall section 11 (see FIG. 5) with its backside open for supporting the vertical part 2b of the terminal 1. In thebase end section of the supporting wall section 11 there are provided,projected, board mounting plates 13 with circular through holes 12.

The fixing stand 14 (see FIG. 4) for holding the connector terminalswith a predetermined separation has a plurality of positioning holes 15for inserting the board insertion sections 4 and the parts 6a of thereinforcing walls 6 of the terminals 1. On both ends of the fixing stand14 there are provided mounting holes 16 for the printed board 17. Asshown in FIG. 6, the mounting hole 16 is formed as a stepped hole thathas an increased diameter section 16a in its upper half portion. Thethrough hole 12 of the board mounting plates 13 is given a margin in thediameter so that it has a diameter greater than that of the increaseddiameter section 16a. A fixture 18 is inserted in the through hole 12and the mounting hole 16. As shown in FIG. 4, the fixture 18 is obtainedby providing a brim 18c on a cylindrical main body 18a in whose interioris formed a screw hole 18b.

Next, referring to the FIG. 4, 5, 6, and 7 the action of the connectorterminal and the setup of the connector will be described.

After the board insertion section 4 and the part 6a of the reinforcingwalls 6 of the connector terminal 1 are forced in, or molded byinserting, to the positioning hole 15 of the fixing stand 14, to holdthe connector terminal 1 at a prescribed depth, the connecting section 3is inserted into the housing room 9 of the housing 8. The connectingsection 3 has a structure in which hooking is accomplished by engaging ahooking arm, which is not shown, the hooking hole 3c (see FIG. 4).

Next, the board mounting plate 13 of the housing 8, the fixing stand 14,and the printed board 17 are put one upon another as in FIG. 4, and arefixed with the fixture 18 and a screw 19. In doing so, the body 18a ofthe fixture 18 reaches as far as the increased diameter section 16a ofthe mounting hole 16 so that the fixing stand 14 and the printed board17 can be fixed in a state which do not move relatively. However, theboard mounting plate 13 is allowed to move slightly for a distance of mlaterally and for a distance of n vertically (or in the front and backdirection) by the through hole 12, as shown in FIG. 7. Next, the boardinsertion section 4 of the connector terminal 1, which projects out fromthe bottom surface of the insertion hole 17a (FIG. 4) of the printedboard 17, is welded to the board circuit on the board 17 (not shown) tobe electrically connected. In this way, setup for the connector terminal1 and the printed board 17 can be accomplished.

Next, referring to the FIG. 8, 9 and 10, the connection between aprinted board 17 to another printed board will be described.

As shown in FIG. 8, the housing 8 will be fitted to a female housing 21of a board 20. The female housing 21 has, in its interior, projectedmale terminals 22 corresponding to the connecting section. The femalehousing 21 also has surrounding walls 21a. A tapered surface 23 isprovided at the upper inner edge of its surrounding walls 21a, as shownin FIG. 9.

When a slight slippage L exists between the housing 8 and the femalehousing 21, the tip of the housing 8 makes a direct contact with thetapered surfaces 23 as shown in FIG. 9. However, under the lateral forceF, the housing 8 is shifted sideways with respect to the printed board17 due to the through hole 12. Along with the shift of the housing 8,there will be applied a force to the connecting section 3 of theconnector terminal 1 from the inner wall of the housing room 9. Thispressing force is absorbed by the curved section 7 as shown in FIG. 10.Consequently, the connecting section 3 alone is shifted, withoutrelative shifting of the printed boards 17 and 20. These motions of thehousing 8 and the connecting section 3 continue until a matchedcondition as represented by the doubly dotted chain line as shown inFIG. 9 is reached. The fitting will be accomplished in the state inwhich there is no slippage in the positions of the connecting section 3and the male terminal 22.

On the other hand, the slippage in the vertical positions due to theconnection depth between the connecting section 3 and the male terminal22 can be absorbed by the expansion or contraction or the bending of thecurved section 5 of the terminal 1.

As in the above, the error in positioning of the connector terminal 1can be absorbed by the bending of the curved sections 5 and 7, withoutaffecting the connecting section 3. Therefore, a stable condition ofelectrical connection can be achieved without fear of deforming theconnecting section 3. Further, the error in positioning between theprinted boards 17 and 20 can be absorbed by the shift of the housing 8.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show additional embodiments of the connecting terminal.The connector 1' shown in FIG. 11 is the type in which the connectingsection 3 and the board insertion section 4 of the terminal 1 are notbent. In this case, it becomes possible to connect two printed boards ona same plane, differing from the case shown in FIG. 8. The connectingterminal 1" shown in FIG. 12 is the type in which the connecting section3 is formed on the bottom side of the horizontal part 2a of theconnecting terminal 2. At the same time, in the vertical part 2b, inplace of the reinforcing walls 6, there is provided a single-sided wall6', giving to the single-sided wall 6' a curved section 7' which isanalogous to the curved section 7. In this case, it becomes possible toform the curved section 7' of an arbitrary size without subjecting it tothe restrictions on the dimensions that are required in forming thecurved section 7 in the reinforcing walls 6. Accordingly, it becomespossible to increase the absorbing power for the positional deviation inthe lateral direction to reduce its influence on the connecting section3, and to facilitate the manufacture of the connecting terminal 1.

In the connector of the present invention, the connecting section andthe board insertion section of the connecting terminal are joinedthrough two curved sections for absorbing the deviation in position inthe vertical and the horizontal directions. Therefore, there is littlefear of giving deformations of the connecting section due to externalforces, making it possible to secure a stable electrical convention andto facilitate the miniaturization of the device. In addition, theconnecting section may be given either female or male structure so thatit has an advantage that it can be used for connecting the existingconnector or the like as it is. Moreover, the housing for housing theconnector terminal is mounted movably with respect to the printed boardor the like so that it is possible to eliminate the error in positioningwithout affecting the board.

Although only preferred embodiments are specifically illustrated anddescribed herein, it will be appreciated that many modifications andvariations of the present invention are possible in light of the aboveteachings and within the purview of the appended claims withoutdeparting from the spirit and intended scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A connector comprising:(i) a connector terminalhaving;a connecting section formed on one end of the terminal forconnecting the terminal with a partner terminal, a board insertionsection formed on the other end of the terminal, a first and a secondbendable section that are bendable in first and second directions,respectively, that are mutually perpendicular and are respectivelyperpendicular to the connecting direction of said partner terminal,between both ends of said terminal, (ii) a housing having a housingsection and a base end section, said housing section having means forreceiving said connector terminal, said housing further having;a boardmounting plate provided on the base end side of said housing.
 2. Theconnector as claimed in claim 1, in which said connector terminal isformed by bending a strip-like structure in the form of the letter L andsaid first bendable section comprises the L-shaped bent section.
 3. Theconnector as claimed in claim 1, in which said connector terminal is amonolithic elastic piece.
 4. A connector comprising:(i) a connectorterminal having;a connecting section formed on one end of the terminalfor connecting the terminal with a partner terminal, a board insertionsection formed on the other end of the terminal, a first and a secondbendable section that are bendable in first and second directions,respectively, that are mutually perpendicular and are respectivelyperpendicular to the connecting direction of said partner terminal,between both ends of said terminal, (ii) a housing having a housingsection and a base end section, said housing section having means forreceiving said connector terminal, said housing further having;a boardmounting plate provided on the base end side of said housing; in whichsaid connector terminal is formed by bending a strip-like structure inthe form of the letter L with an arching section at the corner of theletter L, which projects from the exterior side of the letter L, andsaid first bendable section comprises said arching section.
 5. Aconnector comprising:(i) a connector terminal having;a connectingsection formed on one end of the terminal for connecting the terminalwith a partner terminal, a board insertion section formed on the otherend of the terminal, a first and a second bendable section that arebendable in first and second directions, respectively, that are mutuallyperpendicular and are respectively perpendicular to the connectingdirection of said partner terminal, between both ends of said terminal,(ii) a housing having a housing section and a base end section, saidhousing section having means for receiving said connector terminal, saidhousing further having;a board mounting plate provided on the base endside of said housing; in which said connector terminal has a linear formand said first bendable section comprises an arching section in theconducting plate that is provided at the midsection of the linear form.6. A connector comprising:(i) a connector terminal having;a connectingsection formed on one end of the terminal for connecting the terminalwith a partner terminal, a board insertion section formed on the otherend of the terminal, a first and a second bendable section that arebendable in first and second directions, respectively, that are mutuallyperpendicular and are respectively perpendicular to the connectingdirection of said partner terminal, between both ends of said terminal,(ii) a housing having a housing section and a base end section, saidhousing section having means for receiving said connector terminal, saidhousing further having;a board mounting plate provided on the base endside of said housing; in which the second bendable section of saidconnecting terminal is comprised of walls formed by bending both sidesof a part of said second bendable section, notching a part in thelongitudinal direction of the band-like plate held between the sidewalls, and curving said side walls on both sides of the notched section.7. A connector comprising:(i) a connector terminal having;a connectingsection formed on one end of the terminal for connecting the terminalwith a partner terminal, a board insertion section formed on the otherend of the terminal, a first and a second bendable section that arebendable in first and second directions, respectively, that are mutuallyperpendicular and are respectively perpendicular to the connectingdirection of said partner terminal, between both ends of said terminal,(ii) a housing having a housing section and a base end section, saidhousing section having means for receiving said connector terminal, saidhousing further having;a board mounting plate provided on the base endside of said housing; in which said connector is formed by bending astrip-like structure in the form of the letter L and said first bendablesection comprises the L-shaped bent section, in which the secondbendable section of said connector terminal is constructed by forming aside wall by bending the edge of one side of said conducting plate,notching a part in the longitudinal direction of the band-like plate onthe side where the side wall is formed, and by curving said side wall atthe position where there is created the notched section.
 8. A connectorcomprising:(i) a connector terminal having;a connecting section formedon one end of the terminal for connecting the terminal with a partnerterminal, a board insertion section formed on the other end of theterminal, a first and a second bendable section that are bendable infirst and second directions, respectively, that are mutuallyperpendicular and are respectively perpendicular to the connectingdirection of a partner terminal, between both ends of said terminal,(ii) a housing having a housing section and a base end section, saidhousing section having means for receiving said connector terminal, saidhousing further having;a board mounting plate provided on the base endside of said housing; in which on the side of said one end of saidconnector terminal, where said connecting section is provided, there isformed a hooking hole for hooking said connecting section to the insideof the housing.
 9. A connector terminal comprising;(i) a connectingsection formed on one end of said terminal for connecting the terminalwith a partner terminal, (ii) a board insertion section formed on theother end of the terminal, (iii) a first and a second bendable sectionthat are bendable in first and second directions, respectively, that aremutually perpendicular and are respectively perpendicular to theconnecting direction of said partner terminal, between both ends of saidterminal.